A 43-year-old man presented with loose stools, abdominal pain and a weight loss of 15 kg. Investigations revealed a pancreatic insufficiency and an enteropathy with villous atrophy. Coeliaki was suspected. In spite of treatment with a gluten-free diet in hospital the patient did not improve and the villous atrophy remained unchanged. Other causes than coeliaki to villous atrophy were ruled out. The patient had a heavy consumption of alcohol and after prolonged abstinence the patient gained weight, the pain disappeared and the stools were normalized...